Jamaica Broilers Group ‘Dares to Care’
Children and young adults living with HIV introduced to vision boarding
JAMAICA Broilers Group (JBG), through its Share the Love employee volunteer programme, recently hosted visitors from the Dare to Care programme — an initiative by Mustard Seed Communities which provides care to children and adolescents living with HIV in Jamaica.
More than 30 teens and young adults, along with four of the programme’s caregivers, arrived by the company’s branded bus to its head office in McCook’s Pen, St Catherine, for a fun-filled day of vision boarding.
Held under theme ‘Dare to Dream, Dare to Achieve’, the day began with a motivational message from Jamaica Broilers Group Public Relations Manager Danah Cameron.
She encouraged the youngsters to embrace their dreams with confidence, and emphasised that trusting the Lord, dreaming big, setting goals, and persevering towards the mark, are key to turning aspirations into reality.
“God has a plan for each of you — a plan to prosper you, not to harm you; a plan to give you hope and a future,” said Cameron.
“You may not always see the path clearly or know when your dreams will come true, but if you keep believing, planning, and working towards them, anything is possible,” added Cameron.
Following the talk the youngsters engaged in a hands-on vision board exercise, creatively mapping out their aspirations with guidance from the 16 JBG Share the Love volunteers hailing from across the group’s operations.
The team worked with the excited young people throughout the session, helping them to identify their goals and represent their ideas with magazine clippings, stickers, and a variety of art supplies.
By the end of the session the once-blank boards were transformed into vibrant depictions of everyone’s goals and ambitions.
With renewed determination they proudly showcased their vision boards, each piece reflecting the possibilities that lie ahead.
A 28-year-old resident of the Dare to Care programme, whose name is being withheld, expressed his appreciation for the experience.
“The vision board session was truly inspiring. It allowed me to visualise my dreams and goals, reminding me that no matter the size of a goal, it’s achievable. It encouraged me to dream big and trust in my potential.
“This is the kind of activity young people like me need to stay motivated. It was fun, the food was amazing, and I would love for Jamaica Broilers to do this again,” said the young man.
Andre McFarlane, administrator of the Dare to Care programme, also echoed similar sentiments about the day’s activities.
“[The] Jamaica Boilers Group Share the Love initiative is similar in vision to that of our founder, Father Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon,” said McFarlane. “Through the positive interaction of caring, sharing and training, Mustard Seed Communities aims to uplift the most vulnerable members of society — especially children who are disabled and abandoned.
“Today’s initiative really made a tremendous impression on the participants — residents and staff equally. The day exceeded our expectation and every detail of it was evidently thought about. The calibre of engagement and hospitality was phenomenal,” added McFarlane.
The day wrapped up with a shared meal, prepared in-house by the JBG kitchen staff. As a parting gesture, each of the young participants received Best Dressed Chicken tokens to remind them of their special day out, while their caregivers were gifted with goodie bags filled with Best Dressed Chicken products.
